


The Exhibition

by luminfics



Series: Round 2017 [6]
Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: M/M, luminfics round 2017
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-05
Updated: 2017-06-05
Packaged: 2018-11-09 11:31:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,359
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11103687
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/luminfics/pseuds/luminfics
Summary: Chanyeol drags Luhan to an Art Exhibition.





	The Exhibition

**Author's Note:**

> Username: anonymous until reveals  
> Prompt Number: 13  
> Title: The Exhibition  
> Word Count: 2,364  
> Warnings: None, it's chill.  
> Summary: Chanyeol drags Luhan to an Art Exhibition.  
> Author's Notes: I hope you enjoy reading this.

Luhan could swear the painting’s eyes followed him. Perhaps they did.

 

“You promised me we would go!” Chanyeol whined, “Hyung you know I’ve been waiting all month for this!”

Luhan rolled his eyes and shoved his remaining ramen into his mouth. Chanyeol pouted and crossed his arms.

“If we don’t go, I’m telling your mother that you failed physics this semester.”

Luhan instantly perked up, sputtering.

“You wouldn’t dare.” His brown eyes narrowed.

“Try me.” The taller boy replied, holding his gaze steady while reaching for his phone.

The brief moment seemed to last an eternity. The pendulum inside the grandfather clock to their right slowed down as the lively noise of the campus’ coffee shop turned into background buzz. Luhan panicked and somehow managed to snatch his companions phone from the table before its owner could even stretch out his arm. He held the power button until he was sure it shut down and dropped it into his backpack.

“Hyung! It really isn’t fair!” The lanky boy squealed.

Luhan sighed, “ Look, I’ll go with you, just leave my mother out of this!”

Chanyeol punched the air in victory, “ Woohoo! You won’t regret your decision!”

While the younger did a little triumphant wriggle, Luhan couldn’t help but wonder what he had gotten himself into.

 

Apparently what had happened was that after a long day at university Luhan finally came home to his apartment, which he shared with Chanyeol. The abode wasn’t too extravagant seeing as they were both broke college students. The younger was lounging on the couch, bored out of his mind, but now that his roommate was here, he was delighted to tell him of his day and the amazing news he had to share. Luhan was exhausted as he always was after classes, he had a nice warm bath and a comfortable nap in mind, but being the good person that he is, he allowed his beloved friend to tell him about his day anyway.

Luhan was changing out of his clothes while Chanyeol sat just outside the bathroom door to make sure the older boy could hear him while he told his story. Even so, due to the water running to fill the tub, Luhan couldn’t hear anything, so like any normal human being, he just made approving noises whenever there was a pause in the younger’s speech.

That’s where he made his mistake. Chanyeol’s ‘news’ had been about this ‘ free travelling art exposition’ finally coming around to their city and had thought that there was no one other than his trusty, blond haired friend that could accompany him into the world of creativity.

 

So, this is how the duo ended up awake at 6:30 on a Saturday. The exposition was just outside the city, a fifteen-minute walk away from the last metro station on line 2.

“I’m so happy right now, I’ve been waiting for this since I first heard of them!” Chanyeol stated cheerfully, they were both next to the exit fixing their jackets and checking that they had everything they needed.

Luhan just grunted.

“They have a fairytale theme this time, the artists got kindled by actual folklore and legends around the world and made paintings and sculptures of the stories, it’s all inspired.” The taller boy sighed while tying his shoelaces, “I wish I had that kind of talent.”

Luhan rolled his eyes and replied, “ Shut up Chanyeol, your wildfire coursework is amazing.”

Chanyeol grinned while standing up to link his arms with the blond boy, “Let’s get going, my excitement can’t handle our boring apartment any longer.”

 

The ride to their destination was rather dull, most of the people commuting to their weekend jobs were still half-asleep and the stations were nearly empty. As they neared the end of the line, the metro became deserted and soon enough they were the only people inside.

“All the other attendees must already be there.” Chanyeol deduced

“Oh definitely, I’m sure there are people even crazier than you who would just camp outside the entrance.” The older yawned

Chanyeol just grinned widely forming crescent eyes; it was a nice, sunny day, which he had been looking forward to for quite some time now. Nothing would stop him from enjoying the intricate artwork, not even Luhan’s snarky remarks.

 

When they finally arrived at the gallery, the shorter boy’s eyes widened at the structure before him. The tents, which had been set up in an abandoned parking lot at the city’s edge, were wide and colourful. The rough material that made up the walls of these tents was painted over with bright red and yellow in various different patterns. The gallery was made to be like a maze, each exhibit had its own section with the legend from which the artist got inspired from summarized next to the final piece. There was a relatively long queue outside the dark opening of the tent.

Both boys appeared dumbfounded by the powerful energy seeping from the art gallery. It was unlike anything they had ever experienced before.

“I’ve only ever read stories other people have shared from when they were inside this exhibition, I never imagined it would be so beautiful on the outside too” Chanyeol whispered

Luhan nodded, “ It is really not what I had expected it to look like.”

 

The duo waited in a slowly advancing line, a bodyguard stood at the entrance to make sure people entered in and orderly fashion, not to have to many people in at once.

“Why don’t you submit a piece for their next topic?” Luhan asked while fixing his coat, “ I bet you could come up with better things than what we’re going to see.”

“Hey! Don’t disrespect other people’s work! Any artistic representation of anything is the outcome of somebody’s time and effort, you can’t disregard it just because in your opinion it is not good.” The taller boy huffed, crossing his arms, “And besides, these artists are chosen by the people who came up with this idea, I can’t submit anything without their prior knowledge, I would have to wait for them to contact me.”

The distance towards the entrance kept getting shorter as they conversed lightly. The colours of the murals were even more vibrant up close, they were complicated enough to keep your attention for a couple of minutes while you waited in the queue as you tried to figure them out.

 

Upon reaching the end of the line, they faced the entrance that seemed like a gaping maw into an alternate universe and they fell silent. Something seemed to take hold of them as they passed underneath the tent opening and into the darkness within. They were both wondering how they were going to see any of the artwork if it was so dark but they didn’t voice their thoughts aloud. Something kept them from doing so.

 

Surrounded by a mute blackness, the two roommates slowly advanced forward, it was almost as if their legs knew where to carry them without needing the brain’s input. They walked down a long hallway with no lights to illuminate the path. In the end, they suddenly turned left into a separate room.

 

Both males gasped, it was the first sound they made after having entered the gallery. The space they had entered had a magnificent statue in the middle. It was cut out of marble and shaped to resemble a monstrous three-headed dog standing up on its hind legs. It had a scaly tail that coiled around its left leg. All three heads had fierce facial expressions sculpted out, clearly showing their menacing fangs and mad eyes. The heads were adorned with spiky collars, each with a different syllable engraved into its tag. The tags read ‘Cer-Be-Rus’. The only light in the room seemed to be positioned exactly to accentuate the monstrosity of the creature and to serve as a warning for the visitors who dared to enter. After some time, it seemed like the sculpture was breathing, it’s nostrils widening and it’s eyes blinking, though that was just an illusion, right?

 

The powerful energy that emanated from the sculpture left them dumbfounded, still unable to say anything to each other. As they ventured deeper into the exhibition, they encountered many more such marvelous creations: painted vases, a graffitied concrete slab, oil on canvas paintings and 3-D arrangements. They all told wonderful stories, some that the boys were familiar with, such as Dracula’s tale, others that were new to them, such as Rumpelstiltskin’s story. However it didn’t matter to them if they were known beforehand or not, it did not take away from the breathtaking experience they had. Oddly enough, each artist’s work seemed to be alive and moving, just as the guardian of the gallery had seemed.

 

One painting in particular captured their attention. The expanse of the canvas was wide enough to take up most of the wall upon which it hung from. It was framed with carved, dark brown wood that seemed to be hundreds of years old. The image inside was not so extraordinary, however it entranced them more than any other painting they had seen so far.

 

It depicted a king who was taking a stroll through the vast forest he had behind his castle. He was clad in royal blue armour, which faded into an icier blue as it reached his boots. The man was not big and overpowering, but grace and dignity emanated from his posture. The forest that surrounded him was experiencing the harsh winter season, while the castle in the background seemed to be deep within summer. The king’s crown, rimmed with ice, was glinting in the sunlight, its main jewel shining brightly. His cat-like eyes pierced right through the canvas and into the real world, accompanied by his delicate smile. Luhan was enchanted. He has never seen any man more beautiful in his life, except when he looked in the mirror of course.

 

Behind the king, there stood a squire. Clothed modestly in tan brown garments, he held a small scepter that had a ball of light dancing at its end. He did not seem to be related to the king, but he must be a favoured subject as his Majesty allowed him into the forest with him. The squire too, was looking out into the real world, his lightly coloured hair ruffled by the winter breeze.

However Luhan paid little attention to the other boy, his eyes were locked onto the gaze of the king. How powerful, yet gentle he seemed. The blond haired boy shifted from one leg to the other. The king’s precise gaze followed his moves. Was it just his imagination? It must be. Luhan rubbed his eyes and moved a bit to the right. The king’s eyes followed. This could not be real, how could a painting move its eyes?

 

The two boys watched in silence as the wind inside the painting continued to play with the squire’s hair and the crown on the king’s head continued to shimmer. Luhan managed to tear his eyes from the painting and look at his companion. Chanyeol was fixed on the king’s subject, with his mouth slightly open, almost drooling. The smaller boy dared to poke his roommate on the shoulder. The tall boy shuddered a little but turned his face to Luhan. They could not speak, but it was clear that Luhan wanted to know if Chanyeol also saw the movement. The lanky boy nodded.

 

In a synchronized motion, they both turned their heads back to the painting. Luhan stole a quick glance at the title; it read ‘The Ice King and the Squire of Light’.

The king and Luhan shared one last look before something dragged the blond boy away from the room. Even as the duo walked away, they could feel the gazes of the painting trailing after them.

 

They passed through the rest of the gallery rather quickly, not quite snapping out of the trance they had been in ever since the encounter with the king. At the end of the maze of artwork, they stepped back out into the parking lot. They could see the queue of people waiting to enter about 400 meters from where they were standing.

 

Chanyeol broke the silence “That was amazing right Hyung?”

Luhan still had wide eyes but he managed to look up at his friend. “Yeah, it was definitely something different…”

The taller boy beamed brightly and swung an arm around his friend’s shoulders, only to pull back quickly.

“Ah, Luhan! Why are your shoulders frozen? Are you getting a cold? But it’s the middle of July!” Chanyeol exclaimed.

Luhan quickly crossed his arms to be able to touch his shoulders, his roommate was right; it felt as if they were frozen. He withdrew his palms and inspected them. As he looked he saw thin sheets of ice covering his veins and snaking down to his elbow. He panicked and tried to shake his hands to get rid of it. He then decided to wriggle his own body to get rid of the icy sensation he had creeping down his spine.

He hurriedly placed his hands once more on his shoulders. This time they felt normal.

“Can you check to see if it’s gone?” He asked his friend, who had been standing there with a troubled expression on his face.

Chanyeol nodded and put his hand Luhan’s back, nothing out of the ordinary this time.

“I think you’re okay now. What was that though?” The younger questioned.

Luhan’s thoughts went back to the Ice King. An eeriness settled in his mind as he remembered how alive that painting seemed. Had he been cursed? No way, the king’s smile seemed too kind for something like that.

“Well, no matter, we got rid of it.” Chanyeol declared. “Up for some warm morning

pancakes?”

The older’s eyes gleamed. “Of course!”

 

As the two walked back to the metro station to reach civilization, they failed to notice the icy footprints Luhan left in his wake. The King’s mark would not fade so easily, the man in the painting grinned. Luhan would belong to him soon.


End file.
